The present invention relates to furniture for offices and the like, and in particular to a novel customizable knockdown furniture arrangement with attachable accessories.
The furniture industry has become increasing competitive, and as a result, furniture manufactures are searching for furniture arrangements that maximize functionality and the ability of customers to customize the furniture to the customer's particular needs, but which also minimize manufacturing costs and shipping costs. One attractive alternative has been to provide knockdown furniture with interchangeable/interconnectable components that can be ordered with the desired options, shipped in a knocked-down condition to minimize shipping costs, and assembled on-site. However, further improvements are desired to reduce part cost and assembly time, to reduce the need for skilled labor and special tools particularly at the job site, and to reduce the number of non-standardized specialized brackets and other parts. Notably, each of these items can add considerably to the overall cost and expense of the furniture. Also, a furniture arrangement is desired that allows ready reconfiguration of an existing furniture arrangement without the need for additional or different connectors and without a difficult disassembly/reassembly.
Aside from the items noted above, businesses in general are placing an increased emphasis on efficient use of office space, which has led to an overall increase in worker density. This in turn has placed a premium on efficient use of worksurface space. At the same time, computers are being introduced which take up additional worksurface space placing even more of a premium on worksurface space. Thus, improvements are desired in the type and placement of worksurface accessories, and in particular, improvements are desired which free up worksurface space but which simultaneously allow optimal placement of the accessories and allow the accessories to be easily replaced or relocated to permit adaptation to changing work needs and functions. Of particular interest is a low cost desk adapted for use with a computer which allows periodic uninhibited use of the computer while permitting the computer keyboard to be stored in an accessible but remote location so that the desk presents a worksurface unencumbered by the computer keyboard during a substantial period of a workday.